NSPA 2023 Annual Conference

The new suicide prevention plan: reaching further and deeper into communities

The NSPA’s ninth annual conference brought together people with an interest in suicide prevention across the private, public and voluntary sector to network, learn and share. 

Suicide prevention is everybody’s business. Yet all too often, people in marginalised and economically disadvantaged groups find it harder to access relevant support, and experience higher rates of suicide. Never has this been more important than during a national cost of living crisis and with the NHS under increasing stress. 

In the context of a new national plan, we asked what more we can do to reverse this trend over the next decade and how we can learn from the lived experience of people in these communities and put this into practice.

Agenda & Speakers

View the full agenda

Plenary speakers

• Professor Louis Appleby, Chair, National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group: View the presentation slides and watch the presentation
• Professor Ann John, Professor in Public Health & Psychiatry at Swansea University Medical School
• View the presentation slides and watch the presentation.
• Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, Associate National Clinical Director for Children & Young People’s Mental Health, NHS England
• Sarah Dangar, CEO, Ahimsa & VAWG Consultant: Watch the presentation
• Sue Willgoss, NSPA Lived Experience Influencer: View the presentation slides and watch the presentation
• Jody Foster, Mark Foster & Nicola Jones, founders of Ellie’s Angels: View the presentation slides and watch the presentation

Morning workshops:

• How to involve people with lived experience to shape policies around health inequality: View the presentation slides
• Suicide inequalities in the Gypsy & Traveller communities: View the presentation slides
• Domestic abuse and suicide – what can we learn from the voices of victims of domestic abuse who have tried to take their own lives? View the presentation slides
• Supporting LGBTQ+ young people with suicidal thoughts; Grassroots Suicide Prevention and Allsorts Youth Project. View the presentation slides
• Suicide Prevention and mental health within the South Asian population

Afternoon workshops:

• Internet safety, suicide and self-harm: How can we support people to have safe and positive experiences online? View the presentation slides
• The benefits of a GP Mental Health Fellowship scheme to the suicide prevention agenda: View the presentation slides
• Innovative practices for suicide prevention at high-risk locations. (this was a discussion)
• Hidden & High-Risk: Reflections on the need for prioritisation of suicide prevention activities with individuals under probation supervision. View the presentation slides
• Research into suicide postvention services in LGBTQ+ community. View the presentation slides